Nobody's Home
by Y2Jen
Summary: (A story inspired by the Avril Lavigne song.) Joey is oh his deathbed in the hospital, and Serenity blames herself for the whole Wheeler divorce mess. My first YuGiOh fic, PLEASE R&R! COMPLETED!
1. The Begining Of The End

**Nobody's Home:** A story inspired by the Avril Lavigne song. The crumbling divorce of the Wheeler family leaves Joey on his hospital deathbed and the confused life of Serenity reaching its climax in tragedy.

**A/N disclaimer:** Ok you know the routine, I don't own YuGiOh, I don't own the song, and this is my first YuGiOh fic, and don't worry about the R rating, I don't have anything sexual planned (change pending) for this but be prepared for plenty other R rated materials in later chapters.

It was late as Serenity made her way into the dark world outside the Domino City hospital. She shifted her shoulders underneath the backpack as she took one last glance up at the community memorial center. Her eyes fixated on a certain fifth floor window and narrowed. A slight breeze kicked up, blowing a few strands of hair across her face. She puffed out her cheeks as she brushed the rebellious strands behind her hear. Then she grabbed a tie and wrapped her long hair back up into a ponytail, the long yet not long enough bangs came down the side of her face. Her unchanged expression read the recalling of what had just transpired up in that hospital room, just moments ago…

Serenity knocked on the door to room 13, getting no answer she decided to make her way in. Closing the door behind her, she looked to the side of the room. There sat Mai in a chair, fast asleep with her head resting on the stand under the sole lamp in the room. Serenity sighed, Mai had been there all weekend and hadn't eaten or slept for over a day, so that was to be expected upon her arrival at this point and time. Upon turning towards the window side of the hospital room, there lay her older brother, looking pale and frail under the blue gray hospital sheets. Her eyes quivered slightly as she made her way over to him. She looked down at him sleep, his face looked so peaceful yet she knew inside he was screaming and fighting a pointless battle. The beeping of the heart monitor was the only sound in the room and yet it seemed like a silent eternity for her. Joey had been in the hospital for about a week now and yet his condition hadn't changed any better. She closed her eyes as she sat down on the chair at his bedside, the memories of the day he was admitted came flooding back to her.

It was a Friday as she recalled, Joey had gotten out early, not because he had ditched, but because as a senior he had a shorter day. Yugi and Tea were still in classes and Tristan was in 'study hall', better known as detention. Joey eyed his watch, he was going to wait for Tristan to finish his 'session' and then he was going to drive her to Serenity's house for a visit, he promised to spend the weekend with her, and he would never break a promise to his little sister. Joey sat on the bench in the sun, he closed his eyes as he basked his face in its warmth. It was a heat wave that day and Joey had forgotten to bring an extra bottle of water, or rather, his dad had kicked him out before he could grab it.

"Heads up!"

"Hu?" Joey snapped out of his daze and watched as a baseball bounced a few feet away from him.

A boy, obviously on the school team from the looks of his attire, ran over, "Hey, little help?"

"Sure thing." Joey stood, picked up the ball and threw it.

The boy caught it, "Boy, you sure got a good arm. Hey, how about a game?"

Joey looked at his watch and then smiled, "Sure, I gotta lotta time. I'm in!"

"Alright." The boy ran and led Joey out to the field. There he spent an hour in the most fun game of baseball he'd ever played. Sometime later, after practice had ended, Tea, Yugi and Tristan made their way out of the schoolhouse and found Joey exousted on the bench where he'd begun.

Tristan ran over, "Hey Joey, looks like you had fun while we were in there bored out of our minds." He laughed but his smile disappeared once he found Joey breathing heavily, his face flushed and dotted with sweat.

Yugi bent down, "Joey, are you ok?"

Joey caught his breath, "Yea, fine, just, a little winded, is all." He said all this without even opening his eyes.

Tea frowned and put a hand on his forehead, "No way, you're burning up."

"Come on, let's get him to the nurse." Tristan pulled Joey's arm over his shoulder.

Joey jerked back, staggering to stand on his own, finally opening his eyes, "No, I'm fine, ok?"

Tea's eyes shook, "Joey…."

"Look, alls I did was play a game of ball, you gotta expect me to be a little winded after an hour plus, not to mention the heat out now."

Tea sighed, "Alright Joey, whatever you say." She pulled her backpack onto her shoulder and walked off.

Yugi watched and ran after her, "Tea wait! You don't really believe that, do you?"

"Oh, of course not Yugi. But we shouldn't worry, Tristan will be with him, if something does happen, Joey will be in good hands, I promise."

"Ok." Yugi nodded and turned back to see Joey and Tristan taunting each other with jokes and playful taps, and that made Yugi smile.

"So come on, you gonna drive me to my sisters or what?" Joey snickered.

Tristan smirked, "Sorry bro, but the bike got a flat on the way to school this morning, we'll have to walk to the bus station."

"Hey." Joey sneered at him. "What's all this 'we' business? All I needed you for was to give me a ride, and if you can't compensate on that…."

Tristan held up his hands and blushed, "Hey whoa, it's not like that man!"

Joey beamed with an evil smirk as he chanted, "Tristan loves Serenity, Tristan loves Serenity!"

"Hey man shut up!" Tristan scrambled to cover his mouth.

Joey stopped and thought about what he was saying, "Wait, you love my sister? Hey you bastard, wait a sec there….!"

Tristan backed up, "Ok man, I gotta go, ya know, the bike, in the shop… yea." He ran.

"Oh no you don't ya sob!" Joey gave chase. "You get back here you cotton pickin…!"

"Whoa man, come on, please, take it easy, gimme a break!" Tristan laughed as he took the lead, he turned around and stopped laughing. "Joey? Hey, Joey!" He ran over to the slump on the ground, he fell to his knees and shook Joey's shoulders. "Hey come on man, this isn't funny anymore, come on, wake up!" No response. Tristan looked around frantically, but nobody was there. "I gotta get help, I gotta call an ambulance!" He was able to spot a payphone where he called 911, five minutes later an ambulance arrived.

The EMT asked Tristan questions, "Has your friend had any serious illness in the last week?"

"No."

"Has he suffered from a high fever in the past 24 hours?"

"I dunno, he was pretty hot today after playing baseball, but it's hot out anyway."

"And you say he just passed out?"

"Yea, we were just running around."

The man nodded and wrote on his clipboard, "It's most likely heat exoustion, nothing to be worried about. Your friend should be good as new by tomorrow, you can come by the hospital in the morning to check up on him yourself."

Tristan nodded, the man's smile was reassuring, "Thank you sir, I will." Tristan watched the ambulance wheel Joey in the direction of the hospital downtown. "Whoa, I'd better call the others!" Tristan called Tea on her cell phone, and luckily Yugi was still with her, he informed them of Joey's condition and they said they would go with him to the hospital tomorrow morning, but that he should call Serenity and let her know that Joey wasn't coming, and that was something that was hard for Tristan to do.

Serenity picked up the ringing phone, "Hello?"

"Hey Serenity, it's Tristan, you know, Joey's friend?"

She giggled, "Of course I know who you are. So what's up, where is Joey?"

"Well, I was gonna take him over there but my bike got a flat."

"Are you ok?"

"Yea, I'm fine."

"I'm glad."

"Really?" Tristan beamed, trying hard not to blush. Wait a sec, he was on the phone, how could she possibly….

"Tristan, are you blushing?"

"What, no!" Whoa, how did she do that!?

Serenity laughed to herself and then asked, "So where is Joey anyway?"

"Oh, yea." Tristan gulped. "See, it's like this. Ah…"

"Well?"

"He passed out from the heat and had to be taken to a hospital."

"What!"

"Aw come on, it was hard enough to say it the first time, don't make me repeat it…"

"No, no, it's ok, I heard you." She sighed. "I hope he'll be ok."

"Yea he is, he just got winded after running around and playing ball in this heat."

"Oh, I see."

"We're all gonna go see him tomorrow morning at the hospital, you can come with if you like."

"Sure, of course I will! Thank you for telling me Tristan."

"No prob." Tristan hung up and sighed. Serenity hung up and sighed as well.

"Who was on the phone honey?"

"Oh it was Tristan, mom."

"Ah, what did he want?"

"He said that Joey is in the hospital." Serenity looked up as her mom made her way to the kitchen doorway.

"The hospital….?" Serenity nodded, tears welling up in her eyes. Her mom went to hug her. "I'm sure he'll be alright. Would you like me to take you there tomorrow morning?"

Serenity looked up, "Yes mom, please."

She smiled warmly, "Of course I will."

Serenity sniffed and wiped her eyes, smiling back, "Thanks."

Serenity opened her eyes, surprising herself within her own thoughts. She sighed as she looked around the room. The clock confirmed that only two or three minutes had past. She let out her breath as she looked back down at Joey.

"Mom…" She murmured quietly to herself. "She wasn't always like that."

Her mind opened again as the memories once more flooded back to her. The Wheeler's seemed to have the perfect life, be a perfect family, until her parents got a divorce and separated her from her brother. After that, her mom was a completely different person, and her life was horribly because of it, sure she was back to normal now, but... She wished she could go back to the day the fighting began, the day the quarreling first popped up and showed signs of divorce for her parents. She could've prevented it.

"I wish I could go back." Her lip quivered. "And change it, change it all!" She buried her face in her hands. "It was my fault. It's all my fault!"

Joey groaned, his eye squeezed and then opened, revealing its crystal golden orb. He looked up and saw his sister weeping. Confused and concerned, he opened his mouth to speak, all his dry chapped lips could utter was a hoarse raspy whisper, "Serenity…?"

1. The Beginning Of The End


	2. Flame Swordsman

Joey looked up at his younger sister as she poured her eyes out, "Serenity!" She gasped and whirled around, realizing now that he was conscious. Their eyes met, Serenity's shook as Joey's stood dull and pale. She was shocked that he was even awake, usually at the rare occasions that he was, he was always in a semi-conscious state of delirium. Joey licked his chapped lips and spoke once more, "What are you doing here sis?"

"Oh, Joey." Serenity sniffed, his voice sounded so dry, as if somebody had wrung a pipe cleaner up and down his throat. "I'm so sorry." She embraced him tightly.

"Whoa, sis!" Joey was startled and slightly confused. He pushed her back. "Sorry? For what?"

"This is all my fault." She began to cry again, Joey's eyes narrowed at her. "This is all my fault."

"Will you stop saying that!" Joey cringed, yelling was not the best idea.

Serenity tensed, realizing that, "I'm sorry."

"Sh, stop." Joey looked up at her. "What, if ever anything, do you have to be sorry for?"

"This, all of this, everything is my fault!"

"How can you possibly say that." Joey growled through clenched teeth.

Serenity gasped and for that Joey was sorry, "Joey, this all began with me. I could've prevented this all from happening, don't you realize?"

Joey blank stupidly, "Realize what?" Serenity stared at her brother, it reminded her so much of the first time she saw him in the hospital, incidentally, it was just over a decade ago, and, it was the same moment she was reliving right at this time…

Flashback

It was sometime between Christmas and New Years, notably one of the coldest times of the year, but for the Wheeler family, the chill would be more icy than anywhere else.

"Hey sis come on!" The seven year old Joey laughed as he ran through the snow covered park, he had only reached that lucky age a few months ago.

"Hey wait for me!" His five, soon to be six year old sister cried as she kicked the new soccer ball she got for Christmas.

Joey turned around, "Come on now, you've got to run a lot faster than that if you ever want to be a soccer ace." Serenity laughed as the happy parents watched as they strolled down the winter wonderland scene. "Here, kick it my way!" Serenity kicked the ball, it landed by Joey's toe, he tipped it up and caused the ball to bounce up onto his knee, he bounced it back and forward from each leg. "Now see, this is how you do that."

"Ooh." Serenity watched in wonderment, Joey was so good.

"The best offense is a good defense, try to block the ball from going past you." Joey hit the ball hard off his right fore leg and did a head but, causing the ball to fly towards his younger sister.

"I got it!" Serenity jumped up and grabbed it.

"Whoa, whoa, no! Time out." Joey cried. "No hands, rule one of soccer, no hands!"

"Oh." Serenity blushed. "Sorry."

Joey smirked, "It's ok, you didn't know that. Come on, we'll try again. Kick it my way."

"Ok." Serenity smirked to herself, she was gonna kick the ball so hard that Joey would have to run and get it. "Ah!" She kicked it hard.

"Whoa!" Joey moved to the side to block the ball from flying past him, but it was above ground level, it hit him square hard in the chest.

Serenity stopped laughing, "Ouch, oh are you ok?"

"Yea." Joey put on a tough guy facade despite the pain in his chest. "Soccer players can stop it like that legally, as long as you don't use your hands. You're kicking it too high, try to kick down to keep it ground level." He picked it up and tossed it back to her.

"Ok. Hey wait, you used hands!"

"I'm goalie, the goalie can use his hands to throw the ball back into play."

"Ag!" Serenity pulled on her hair. "This is all too much to remember."

Joey laughed, "Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it, now come on, third time's the charm."

Serenity smiled to herself, "Kick it right under his legs, he'll never expect that. He'll have to chase it I kicked it so hard, and that means I win! Hehe." She pulled her leg back and kicked it.

"Whoa." Joey tried to get it but it flew out from under him, he looked under his legs as the ball bounced away. Serenity laughed. Joey smirked, "Oh and I bet you're pretty amused." Serenity clapped. Joey ran after it, "You did that on purpose!"

"Na aw, prove it!" She stuck out her tongue.

Joey laughed as he ran to get the ball, he bent down to pick it up but heard a sound, "Hu, what's that?" He looked around, he seemed to be in a clearing of sorts, trees all around but the level of snow seemed lower, almost as if he were standing… "No, not the pond!" Joey gasped as he saw Serenity frolic over. "No stop sis, stay back!"

"Hu?" She gasped and froze in her tracks.

"I'm caught on the pond."

"Oh no!"

"Don't worry I can make it back, just be real quite cause I gotta be careful."

Serenity nodded, "Ok." She gasped and covered her mouth.

Joey held the ball tightly and began to step slowly and carefully, paying attention to the sound the ice under his feet made, so far so good, he was this close to the shore when, "Ah!" The ball flew up into the air as his body fell under the ice.

Serenity let out a scream, "Ah, momma HELP!"

Cher gasped and turned around, "Honey, you hear something?"

Bob turned to her, "Only the heavenly song that is your voice."

She laughed and playfully hit him, "Oh stop it. Seriously, I thought I heard something just now."

"I'm sure it's just the kids playing, you know how loud and rambunctious they are."

"They get it from you."

"Oh? I'm sure!" They laughed.

"Papa!" Serenity cried once again. Her eyes widened as she saw a hand pull up on the bank, Joey's mouth gaped open as he took in a deep breath of oxygen, he panted as he pulled his shivering body out from the ice. "Joey!"

"I'm fine, get mom and dad."

"Ok!" Serenity dropped the ball and ran off. Joey breathed heavily, his vision blurred, he didn't feel so good…

"Do you think it's time we head back now Bob?" Cher asked. (**A/N:** Ok, so I don't know their real names so I made them up, so sue me! If they do have names, please tell me.)

"Yea, the kids are probably frost bitten after snowball fights and snow angels."

"Mommy, daddy!"

Cher turned around, "Serenity?"

She panted, putting her hands on her knees, "Joey, pond, fell, icy…."

"I don't get it." Bob shrugged. "Charades? A snow fort!"

"What? No. Did Joey fall into the ice pond?"

Serenity nodded, "Yea."

"Oh my god!" Cher ran off.

Bob looked down at Serenity, "Now why would you let something like that happen to your big brother?"

Serenity was slightly taken by his tone, "It wasn't my fault, I kicked the ball too hard and it fell over by the pond, it was frozen, I didn't know!"

Bob frowned, "Sounds like it's your fault to me." He walked off.

Serenity's jaw dropped, whoa, "I'm, sorry daddy…" Tears began to appear at the corners of her eyes. Dada blamed her…

"Joey, Joey wake up!" Cher shook Joey and held him close, tears on her face. Bob jogged over. "Bob, quick, we have to get him home, he's freezing from the ice!"

Bob grabbed his son's wrist, he had a pulse, low, but a pulse, "Don't worry he's fine."

Cher leered at him, "My son is turning blue in the face!"

Bob put a hand on his son's forehead, "Don't worry, he's hot, he can't be that bad."

"He's unconscious and he has a fever, Bob we have to get him to a hospital!"

"You know we don't have the money to pay for that right now."

"Bob!" Cher stood up, holding her son, and looked her husband deep in the eyes. "If I have to harvest my body for organ donors to pay for my son's healthful recovery, I will sell my soul to the devil himself…. Oh wait, I already have." She walked off.

Bob growled, "And what's that supposed to mean hu? You're the devil bitch, if anything you owe me!" He looked down and saw the teary eyed Serenity. He rolled his eyes, "Hear no evil… come on kid, let's go." He grabbed her hand and pulled her along. She turned around to reach for the soccer ball but she was already too far off, it sat idly by next to the shore hole in the frozen pond.

Cher paced back and forward in front of the emergency room, Serenity watched her eagerly, Bob pulled out a cigarette but noticed the 'no smoking' sign. He growled. Cher noticed and placed her hands on her hips, "Your son is in intensive care, and all you can think about is a drag from your nicotine stick?"

"The 80's ended two years ago, get with the times hon." Bob turned the corner and headed to the front door. Cher sighed and shook her head.

Serenity spoke up, "Mother, is Joey gonna be ok?"

Cher smiled down at her and picked her up, "Of course he is, he's strong willed, a fighter. Look, I want you to do something for me, alright?" Serenity nodded 'ok'. Cher pulled something out of her pocket, "This is something called a duel monster card, Joey is seven now, and that's the recommended age on this game, I want you to give it to him. I was going to for Christmas, but the stores were sold out, so I bought it for him after the holiday rush was over. You give this to him, and say it's from you. Ok?"

Serenity held the card and stared at it with her big eyes, "Flame Swordsman…"

Cher looked up as an RN opened the door, "You can come see him now, his condition has stabilized but we aren't going to run a diagnostic or administer any medication until your insurance clears."

"Oh." Cher sighed, "We don't have any insurance."

The RN's eyes narrowed, "Oh, I see."

Bob looked up as the front door opened, Cher pleaded between sobs, "I beg of you, please, help him, there must be something I can do!"

The RN shook her head, "I'm sorry, I would like to, but without money, I'm afraid the clinic has no doctor for your healthful needs." She shut the door.

"No, please." Cher fell to her knees and began to cry.

Bob put out his cigarette, "Come on, let's go." Cher looked up with pleading eyes. Bob turned to her and sighed, "To the free clinic, where else?" Cher smiled and stood up.

Luckily at the free clinic, Joey was able to receive help. He was soon in a hospital bed receiving the treatment he needed. Bob and Cher were sitting in the two chairs in the room as Serenity continued to stare at the duel monster card. Flame Swordsman.

"Ma, poppa?"

"Joey?" Cher stood up and raced over to the bed, Serenity followed quickly. "How are you, are you alright?"

"Ah, I can't breathe." Joey felt the oxygen tube in front of his nostrils. "I'm scared."

"Honey, the doctor said you have an ammonia."

"A, what?"

"Joey." Cher and Joey looked down to see Serenity's nose peeking up over the bed. Cher grabbed her and put her up onto the mattress by her brother. Joey sat up to see something held in her hand. "I wanted to give this to you for Christmas, it's a duel monster card."

Joey took it from her in awe, "Flame Swordsman."

"I'm sorry this had to happen to you, this is all my fault."

"What?"

"If I hadn't kicked the ball so hard into the ice, you never would've fallen into the pond and ended up here like this. I'm the most horrible little sister in the world, and I'll understand if you hate me now and never wanna play with me again."

Joey's eyes shook, "Sis…"

Cher looked down at her daughter, "And what makes you think such a think sweetie?"

"Father told me."

Cher's eyes narrowed in the direction of her husband, "Oh."

Bob grumbled and stood up, "Come on kid." He picked Joey up, he cringed painfully.

"Hey wait!" Cher tried to stop him. "What are you doing!?"

"The clinic may be free, but the hospital sure aint. Come on, he's fine now, he can rest for free at home, we've got oxygen there."

Cher put her hands on her hips, "Not with your chain smoking and liquor fumes."

Bob growled, "You gotta problem? I'm leaving whether you're in the car or not."

Bob stared his wife down before leaving, Cher watched him go and then picked up Serenity, "Sometimes I wonder why I married that man."

Serenity looked up, "Because you loved him?"

"Yea, loved, is right."

End Flashback

"Sis, just cause pops said that, doesn't make it true." Joey said. "Trust me."

"No, but for once Joey he was right." Serenity shook her head. "Looking at you reminded me so much of that day, and that's when I realized that it was all my fault, something so small and stupid like that."

"This is my fault, not anybody else, and especially not yours."

"They got a divorce a month later…" Serenity remembered. "Mother took me, and father took you. It was horrible, I wish that day never had to come! That stupid soccer ball, I never did become a soccer ace." Joey smirked to himself but it turned to a frown as she continued. "All of this, my whole life, it's made me feel like I've just got to get away, go, and keep on running and never stop to come back. You know? And start over, with a new beginning, a new life…" She looked up at him.

"Well." Joey sighed and closed his eyes. "If that's really how you feel."

A frown tugged at her lips, "Well, I didn't expect you to understand."

Joey raised his head, "And what is that supposed to mean?"

"You got away easily, you got to live with dad."

A growl escaped his clenched teeth, "You have no right to say that, you're the one who got off easy, mom took you away!"

Serenity stood up as the tears feel from her eyes, "And what gives you the right to say that you hypocrite? You have no idea what life with mama was like!"

Joey froze as he found his younger sister now weeping, "Mh, Serenity…" He sighed as he bit his lip and looked away. Some strong willed warrior, making a girl cry, his own little sister at that no less... He looked on the table by his bed and saw his belt, on it was his duel deck, and on top face up, facing him, was his first card.

2. Flame Swordsman


	3. Opening Life Behind Closed Doors

Serenity stood staring out the window. The sky was growing dusk but no stars were out to shine. Joey lay on his back staring up at the window, he coughed quietly and Serenity sighed to herself. She had stood at this very window when she came to see Joey that morning: Tea, Yugi and Tristan were all already there before her mom dropped her off. Serenity had asked if she wanted to come in with her but she had things to take care of, and she knew that Joey would be ok, so Serenity went by herself.

"Room 13."

She looked down at the note she'd written then up at the room on the fifth floor of the community memorial hospital of Domino City. She took in a deep breath and opened the door. Her first sight was of the hospital bed, but it was empty. She frowned and opened the door further, she was relieved to find Joey sitting on the examination table with a doctor in front of him staring down his throat. Yugi, Tea and Tristan were all standing behind him. Joey was coughing terribly and holding his neck as if he were choking. The doctor put a thermometer in his mouth and it revealed a 104 plus temperature. He then listened to Joey's heart. Serenity stood next to the group and Tristan turned to her.

"Hey Serenity."

"How is he?"

"They haven't said anything yet, they're just examining him now." Tristan turned back to the doctor as he removed the thermometer from Joey's hacking mouth and felt under his chin. "But so far from what we've seen, things can't be good."

"I agree." Yugi sighed. "This looks nothing like heat exoustion, this looks serious."

"Do you think he could be really sick?" Serenity turned to Tea, but she just stared silently over at the poor ill blonde. Serenity sighed and looked at the floor.

"I'll have to go run a diagnostic on my findings." The doctor turned around. "I shall return in about a half an hour, until then you can all visit. You don't need to worry about catching anything, from what things look like, it's not going to be anything contagious."

"Heh, that's good." Tristan joked as the doctor left. He turned to Joey, "You really are a sicko."

"Hey, shut up." Joey whispered very raspy, his cough sounded rattling.

"Oh Joey." Serenity grew teary eyed.

"Sis." Joey was shocked. "What are you doing here?"

"How could I not come big brother? You're sick, I was worried. And after all, you were there for me when I was in the hospital, I'll be here for you as long as it takes."

Joey smirked, "Well don't get too comfortable then, cause I won't be here very long." Joey tried to laugh but it only resulted in a coughing fit. He keeled at the waist, one hand wrapped around his midriff and the other cupped over his mouth.

"Joey." Serenity started to cry and Joey stopped to look up at her.

"Don't cry sis, I'll be ok." Joey closed his eyes and put a hand on his head, he was getting dizzy, like he'd gotten a massive head rush from standing up way too fast.

"Whoa man, are you ok?" Tristan asked.

Yugi stepped forward, "Do you have a headache?"

Joey shook his head to try and get it strait together, "It's getting blurry, my vision."

"Quick, lay down." Tea ran over and pushed him down gently.

"No, get him to the bed." Tristan rushed over and helped her get Joey to his bed to lie down. They covered him with the blanket but he was shivering and shaking violently.

"What's wrong with him?" Yugi gasped.

"Is it the fever?" Tea felt his forehead.

"I dunno, but it looks like he's seizing!" Tristan growled.

"Call a doctor in here, quick!" Serenity picked up the room phone, and within minutes another doctor ran into the room.

"Stay back, please!" The doctor pushed them all back, Serenity ended back up against the window. The doctor tried to restrain the thrashing teenager until finally the spell ended, rendering him unconscious once again. The doctor sighed with relief and wiped his brow.

Joey's doctor rushed in, "What happened, is everything ok?"

"He just broke out of a seizure." The other doc panted.

"Oh dear." Joey's doctor read the diagnostic. "This is not good." He showed it to the doctor.

"Oh gosh." He looked up at the group of kids. "I've, got to go on my rounds." He left.

Serenity approached Joey's doctor, "Sir, is there anything we can do to help him?"

"This is a very serious case, I'm afraid. We haven't had anything this serious in over a year, we haven't seen this exact condition in over a decade. Back then we had no means of medication, but last month a testing product came onto the market. If we try it, and it works, he could be out before the weekend is over."

"Please do anything you can, you just can't let my brother die."

"Don't worry mam, we'll do everything within our power that we can." The doctor began to write on a form. "Now I'll need to get in contact with his guardian to fill out insurance forms."

"Oh." Serenity bit her lip, it was that 'i' word again. "I'm afraid our dad doesn't have any…"

"Oh."

"Please, is there anything we can do? We'll pay for it ourselves, please!" Serenity grabbed his lab coat.

The doctor sighed, "I would really like to help, but without insurance we can't give him medication, but if you come up with a hundred dollars, we can keep him here and monitor his condition for as long as we can."

"Yes, of course, thank you." Serenity put her hands together and bowed graciously.

"How are we going to get a hundred dollars?" Tristan asked.

"Yugi, how about your grandpa?" Tea turned to him.

"I'm sure he'd be glad to help us, after all, he knows Joey very well." Yugi went over to the phone and after explaining the situation, Grandpa Motto was more than willing to help young Wheeler. Yugi explained everything to the doctor.

"I know this is against regulation, but this case is extremely serious, and we haven't been able to test the medication yet, so if we administer this as a 'guinea pig' state, we could be able to cure him for free." The doctor explained.

"He could be a barnyard pig for all he cares, just get him healthy man!" Tristan cried.

"I'll ask if you can keep an eye on him while I go along with my other patients." The doctor said as he injected the iv into Joey's left arm. "If anything in his condition changes, page me immediately by pushing two and nine on the phone."

"We will sir, thank you." Tea nodded as the doctor left. They all turned back to the sleeping Joey. "Well, until then, we'll just keep ourselves occupied in here until anything happens."

"Ok, alright." Yugi and Tristan nodded. Serenity sighed and looked out the window, she wished up at the cloudless sky, hoping and praying that this would work and Joey would end up ok.

"Hey, sis?" Joey called over.

"Hu, what?" Serenity turned around and sighed. Her memories again, it was all so deja vu it was starting to confuse her. "Poor guinea pig, the medication didn't work, if anything, it could've harmed you."

"Say what now?" Joey raised an eyebrow. The medication had left Joey unconscious the whole day, he had no recollection of anything that had transpired.

"How are you feeling?"

"Like my lungs are led balloons full of water, my throat must be cracked and bleeding, my head is spinning from the constant change from fever to chill, and my body is still to weak from the pain to move."

"Wow." Serenity sighed, yea, no change any better, if anything just to worse. "I'm sorry."

"Would you stop with that?" Joey growled.

"The first day you were here, they asked to test out a new drug on you to see if it would help."

"Oh. And, I take it, that it didn't work?"

Serenity nodded sadly, "I would've done anything. You were willing to do everything and anything to be by my side when I was in the hospital, and it got me through, I only wish I could do the same for you. You even dared to see mom again, after a decade."

"Yea, mom." Joey turned away. "She didn't seem any different, and yet you said it was a hell hole living with her. How was that?"

"That," Serenity looked back to the dark night window, "is something I've never told anybody before. I've kept it all locked up inside until now."

"If you start to cry, don't feel bad. I've got a shoulder here for you to cry on." Serenity turned around and saw Joey smile and tap his shoulder. Serenity nodded and came over, sitting down on the edge of the bed next to him and rested her chin on his shoulder. "It was so surreal at first, but then again, I was too young to understand it all anyway…"

Flashback

It had been about a year since Cher and Bob got their divorce. Cher was very depressed, her life had gotten harder. She and Serenity moved to a small apartment and they had to make due with very little because it was hard for Cher to find and maintain a good job of any sorts. Serenity went hungry many days but she didn't complain, she got free lunch at school so she filled up on days when there would be no dinner. She knew how hard her mom was working to take care of them both, she was left exousted, and it was breaking her down. Finally, she did have an actual breakdown. She went crazy, and the possible half empty bottle of tequila she clung in her hand was partially to blame. She broke almost everything in the house, including her daughter, both in body and in spirit. Serenity was too young to understand why mommy had gone crazy, when she tried to help her, to go and ask her to stop, Cher saw her as 'in the way' and struck her. That sure snapped her out of it. Serenity slumped crying on the floor, Cher bent down.

"Honey I'm so sorry, are you ok?"

"Leave me alone!" Serenity shoved her off and continued to sob. Cher was heartbroken.

After that, things only seemed to get worse. Finding no luck in the work world, Cher finally met somebody who luckily had a good paying job. Serenity didn't know what a dealer was, she figured it had to do something with farmers, considering how much grass and flour he carried around to sell and deliver. Cher was a different woman because of that man as well. She seemed to disown her daughter as a smokin biker chick. Serenity was in elementary school by now and a little older than when the whole mess began. Everything was forcing her to see the world in a different way, to grow up quickly, to become mature at a younger age. This new man who some called a Mack, by any other name, came to be known as Ray the lover, changer of her mother and wrecker of her life.

"Mom?" Serenity asked her mom one day as she sat on the couch watching tv. "I'm hungry."

"Here." Cher handed her something.

Serenity looked at it, "But that's one of daddy's Nick Teen sticks." Of course she had no idea what nicotine was.

"Hey deal with it or shut up." Cher shoved her, causing her to fall onto the coffee table, spilling her mom's coffee energy drink. Cher stood up, "You little ass wad!"

"Momma no I'm sorry, please!" Serenity fell backwards onto her bottom.

"You dam bitch! That cost mommy nearly ten dollars!" Cher slapped her across the face.

"Momma." Serenity started to cry, the whisper of beer off Cher's breath was overwhelming her small daughter, who still was to scared and confused to understand.

"I said shut the fuck up!" Cher growled. "Now go to your room and don't come out until school time tomorrow, and I aint driving you! You can walk."

"What about dinner?"

"Naughty little wenches like you don't deserve food, you're eating me and Ray out of house and home, you junior home wrecker."

Serenity ran off crying and ran into Ray. She gasped as he looked down at her, "Hey pint sized. Speaking of which, I need you to hold and deliver something for me."

"I have to go to my room." Serenity tried desperately to pass this man.

"Oh no you don't, I'll have a talk with mommy but first you have to do something with me."

Serenity looked up at him. Mom was mad with her, and even though she didn't like this man, mommy did and he seemed to be the only one able to talk some sense into her. Serenity nodded, "Ok."

"Pint sized, carry this." Ray slipped a pint into her pocket. "Now I want you to go to the street corner where we saw that box of puppies. Do you remember that?"

"Yea, you didn't get me one."

"I'll think about it if you just do what I say, ok?" Serenity nodded and Ray continued. "Good. Now I want you to give this to a guy named Raphel, tell him this is courtesy of Mack's best. Got it?"

"Yes sir."

"Good, now go, cause Ray-Ray gotta do some target practice." Ray walked off.

Serenity cringed, the last target practice he had, he used all of her dolls as hit disks. But Serenity did as she was told, only to hope that Ray would possibly quell the fire within his lover. Serenity walked down the main street, looking for the place she'd seen the puppies last week. She thought to herself, Ray's job paid for all of their things and mom was happy, maybe that should be enough to make her happy, even though her life was miserable. Not paying attention, she walked into somebody.

"Hey watch it kid." He growled.

Serenity looked up, she was at the spot, "Cues me sir, are you, Raphel?"

"No, but he sent me, so what's it to ya?"

Serenity pulled out the small bag, "Pint sized, Mack's best."

Raphel's man smirked and grabbed it, "Eh, best twenty bucks I ever spent."

'Ok.' Serenity backed up and ran off, her job was done, now it was time for her to go home. She looked in the window when she got to her house, she saw Ray and her mom hugging and kissing like animals. She decided to go around the back door to not bother them. Once inside, she snuck to her room. A few minutes later there was a knock at the door and then a lot of commotion was and screaming, so she crept out into the hall and gasped when she saw a bunch of police officers attacking Ray, and Cher on the floor.

"Stop this, what is the meaning of… what's going on here!?" She wailed.

The lead cop turned to her, "We caught him peddling narcotics through a seven year old, we caught her in the act at main street moments ago. We followed her here to finally apprehend this man. We've been on his trail for months."

Cher turned to him, "You're a…."

"It was that hard to figure?" Ray struggled in the cuffs. "Look at how I live my life, I'm not a relater, how else would a fugitive have so much cash and be gone so long some days, yet be off so much time other days." He saw Serenity. "You, you set me up! I told you Raphel, I told you Raphel!" He struggled to tackle her but the cops held him back. She gasped in fear but they dragged him out the door. "I'll swear you son of a bitch I will hunt you down and rip your heart out, now no, ah, get back here you, stop, cut, stop it!"

"Don't worry, he won't be out for a long time, if ever." The cop assured and left. Cher sat in shock on the floor.

Serenity crawled over, "Momma?"

Cher blinked, "How could I have been so blind…" She looked at her hands, then felt her face. "My god, what have I become?" Finally awakened with her eyes open right side up, she gasped and turned to her daughter. "My god." She hugged her. "Serenity, what have I done… I'm so sorry." She wept bitterly.

Serenity smiled softly, "It's ok momma, he's gone now."

Cher looked at her, "I promise you everything will be ok from now on. I'll get a real job myself, I'll try so hard to make things work for us, you'll see, I'll make it better, I'll do it right this time, I promise."

Serenity's eyes watered, "You don't have to worry about me mom, I'll be fine."

"Oh my little girl." Cher wept again and held her tightly, Serenity couldn't help but cry too.

End flashback

Joey stared blankly at his weeping sister, "Are you… kidding me?"

"No." Serenity looked up, her eyes shaking. "I'm dead serious it's all true."

"It just seems so unreal, like out of a movie or something…"

"I told you."

"Sis, I…" Joey looked at her. "I'm so sorry, I had no idea."

"It's ok. You didn't see mom during the ugly times. But it wasn't long before she fixed it all, soon she got a job, we got a big apartment and things went great after that. Until…"

Joey blinked, "Until, what?"

"My eyes."

"Your eyes?"

"Yes." Serenity sighed. "It makes sense now, dad's smoking and drinking, the environment I grew up in when mom was with Ray…. our ceiling was made from asbestos, our paint was led based, the lighting was poor. I was so young, no wonder it had such a hard effect on me so soon as I got older."

"But, you're fine now, they took care of that all."

"Oh yes, no I'm fine now." Serenity smiled over at him. "You never stop to think about it, putting all the pieces of your past together."

"I wonder then." Joey coughed harshly. "If that would explain where I am as well."

Serenity frowned, "I imagine life with dad must've been horrid."

Joey smirked, "Please, mom changed, dad staid the same through it all. I'm glad I went to live with dad, I would've killed myself if he treated you how he treated me."

Serenity blinked curiously over at him, "How had he treated you?"

"Had, sis? Heh, there was never a time he stopped…"

"I can't judge until I hear your story. I told you mine, now you tell me yours."

3. Opening Life Behind Closed Doors


	4. Just Plain Sick

"He was a monster sis, nothing like you wouldn't believe. If you thought he was bad to mom, oh ho, you hadn't heard nothing yet." Joey leered at the floor, his stomach turning at the mere thought of his father. "He was a drunk, an abusive drunk, life with him was intolerable, but, what choice did I have? Dad was a guy who'd trade in the life of his own son for just one drag of a cigar. I know this for a fact cause I nearly found myself a new family at a poker game one night. Dad wasn't like mom, she wasn't upset by the divorce, oh contraire, he womanized from here till next Tuesday and treated it as if no more than an hour had gone by. When I was at school, he was at work. I wanted to get detention, hang with friends, join a sport, anything so I couldn't go home to find him in his stupor. He was a raging alcoholic, and I mean raging, especially when something went wrong and I was there to blame, even if it was something untrue or even in his own imagination, and it was a wild imagination at times. One Saturday he accused me of telling the floor paneling guy not to clean the tile because he wouldn't tip him a penny more than twelve bucks. And, that's odd, cause, we had carpet. No, at first I thought things were gonna eventually get better, but they just got worse, and the better part never came…"

Flashback 

A few months had passed since the divorce, Joey had only one more month of school left before the summer vacation started. Now, most kids looked forward to that, but not Joey. That meant three months with nobody but his dad. They were too poor to send him to camp, hell, Bob wouldn't do something so gracious like that if it was his life support. Joey didn't have much as far as video games, music or movies, the only entertainment he had was his deck and his friends. His friends were going to be busy, Tea was going to camp, Tristan was going to visit family out of town, and Grandpa Motto was teaching Yugi the fine arts of proprietorship in business. Joey sat in his room on his bed, he sighed as he looked at the calendar across the room.

"May 19." He muttered the date to himself. "Just one more month." He shuddered and looked at his duel deck, Flame Swordsman still on the top. "You'll help me get through it, right?"

"Joey!"

Joey gulped at the bellowing voice of his father, "Y-yea dad?"

"Come here a minute."

"Ok, coming."

Joey didn't want to go, but his legs were carrying him automatically. He made his way down the stairs and into the living room. His dad was sitting in his pants with his shirt and shoes off, watching tv. The floor was a mess with dirty magazines, the air was clouded with cigarette smoke, the coffee table was filled with empty beer cans and poker cards and chips. Bob reached into the bag of chips on the couch next to him but pulled his hand out empty. He growled and turned to Joey.

"What did I tell you about the Doritos? Always leave a half bag for your dad!"

Joey cringed, he was drunk again, "But dad, you opened the bag when you came home, I haven't eaten a thing all day."

"Oh that's your excuse for everything. Now come here so I can discipline you." Bob put down the remote. Joey groaned as he drudged over, he hated the 'd' word. Bob pulled back his hand and walloped Joey right on his bottom. Joey cringed at the pain, his dad was big and strong, he had quite an arm and one day Joey feared his dad was going to break his but bone. Bob opened a bottle of soda. "Now go to your room and I don't want to see you for the rest of the night."

"Can I get a water first?"

Bob groaned, "Fine. But only one bottle, this ain't the rits, and punishment should be a prison for you, so no food, not even bread."

Joey sighed, "Fine, thank you sir."

Joey went into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. There was plenty of junk food in there, not to mention loads of beer. Joey grabbed a water and closed the door. He was about to leave the kitchen when his stomach growled. He groaned and squeezed it tightly, he felt as if he were going to throw up his own acid juices, they'd been churning and eating at his insides all day. Joey looked around carefully and heard his dad laughing at something on the tv, he decided to make a break for it. Joey crept over quietly and opened the cupboard, it was full of non-perishable junk food like chips and cookies. Joey saw some of those round crackers that he loved to eat when mom bought them for him. He opened the box but realized it was almost empty, his dad would know if he ate them. Debating, he looked back over in the direction of his father, his stomach growled and he gulped, he had to take the risk. He took two of the crackers and put one in each cheek, then put the box away and closed the door. His dad continued to laugh at what he was watching as Joey crept back to the stairs.

"Ah, ah." Bob stopped him with the mere sound of his voice. Joey froze in his tracks. "Come here a minute." Joey caught his breath and walked over, coaching himself in his mind. Bob took a careful look at him, "Now, either your tonsils are swollen, or you're sneaking something out." Joey felt the sweat crawl down the bristling hair on his neck. "Open your mouth." Joey tensed and closed his eyes, he knew he was in trouble.

"Ah."

Bob smirked to himself, sure enough, Joey had taken two crackers. Bob reached in and returned with his prize, eating the two crackers himself. Joey closed his mouth. Bob tore the bottle from his hands causing Joey to gasp, "Bottled water is too good for you, get a glass from the tap and no more complaining, you got it mister."

Joey nodded, "Yes sir."

"Good, now get to bed!" Bob slapped him hard across the face.

Joey ran up the stairs and to the bathroom. He held his cheek and tried painfully hard not to cry. "I gotta be a man, gotta be tough, gotta be strong and brave. Just like Flame Swordsman." Joey looked at his cheek in the mirror, it was all red and swollen now. He sighed, groaning to himself as he turned on the tap. He turned up his nose in disgust as the dirty water came out into the glass. Joey held his neck, his throat dry from thirst, realizing he had no choice. He opened his mouth, "It's brown, drink it down." And drank it.

"Wow, that sounded pretty hard as a kid. I know how you felt." Serenity sighed.

Joey shook his head, "Oh no, that was dad on a pleasant day. This is a perfect example of hour our real father acted."

It was a few years after, Joey was a pre-teen now in middle school. He had learned to live with how his father was, but nothing stuck with him more than the events of his third day of spring break. Joey was going to spend the day with Tea, Yugi and Tristan. He put his duel deck in his pocket and went down the stairs.

"Where are you going this time son?"

"Out." Joey croaked and cleared his throat, his voice obviously starting to change.

"With who?"

"Just some people, you know, friends."

"When will you be back?"

"I dunno. Why?"

"Joey." Bob got up and approached the boy who now stood at his shoulder level. "You're not going out today."

"What? But pops, I promised them I'd meet them!"

"Talking back eh?"

Joey held his tongue, "No sir."

"Grounded, that's an understatement for what you'll be experiencing this week." Joey cringed. "First off, go to your room… no, don't go to your room. Stay down here, I'm going to your room." Bob went upstairs.

"What? But, wait, why?"

"You'll know when they come to the door. And once they do, not a word, just send the girlies upstairs."

"Girlies?" Joey understood now. "But dad….!"

"Don't leave the house, stay in the living room and don't eat anything, got it mister!"

Joey felt sick, "Yes sir." Bob went upstairs. Joey stood by the door taking it all in. Just then the bell rang. "Please be Yugi, Tristan and Tea." He opened the door to see a girl. He gasped, "Mai!?"

"Hey Joey."

"What in God's name are you doing here!?"

She frowned, "Well, here I thought you were going to be thrilled to see me."

"Well today, right now, isn't the best time. Plus, I'm grounded."

"Grounded? Feh, detention never stopped you so why will this?"

"Look, you've obviously never met my dad before."

"No I haven't." She winked. "So, when do I get to meet him?"

"Never, ok!"

"Wow, you woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning."

"Yea right, I get my own bedroom, that's a laugh…" Mai frowned at that.

"Excuse me?" They turned to see a group of very hot, scantily dressed young women. "Is this the Wheeler residence?"

Joey felt sick again, "Yea, go on up to my room." They did.

Mai's jaw dropped, "What… you, pig!" She slapped him and stormed off.

"Wait, Mai…" He sighed. "No." He growled and leered up the stairs as he heard sounds of pleasure coming from his father. His teeth bared, that was the line.

Hours had passed before the women left late that afternoon. Bob came downstairs, pants less, with a very pleased look on his face, but too bad for Joey it didn't rub off on his treatment of his own son. Bob staggered into the room, obviously very drunk. He grabbed his poker box of cards and chips and threw it at Joey to get his attention. He cried out and leered over at his laughing father.

"Look at the pretty boy with his silky blonde hair and golden eyes. If I buy you one of those boob tank tops, you could pass as a woman." He laughed.

Joey stood up, "That is it old man! I've had enough of you!"

Bob leered at him, no longer playing around. He socked him right in the eye. Joey fell backwards and cried out, "How dare you talk back to me! I raised you, I give you a home, clothes, food and drink, hell, I brought you into this world, and I can take you out!" Bob stomped over and picked Joey up by his collar, his hand wrapping tightly around his neck. "But before you go little lady, I'm gonna turn you into a man, or, as much of a man as you can be, heh." He threw him down onto the sofa, Joey cried out as he found his father on top of him, pulling on his hair. Joey was bleeding, he was crying, what the hell was going on? "Here's a beer, for your last moments of life." He pushed Joey's face into the beer can and forced the liquid down his son's throat, then he began to tear at his pants.

Joey coughed violently, "Dad, stop, what the hell are you doing!?"

"Shut up and wait for the magic!" Bob struggled with his son to get his belt off. "You bastard, cooperate! This is gonna be beautiful, if I had a camera, we could finally make that home movie you always wanted to when you were five." He leaned in close, his stubbly whiskers wisped against Joey's face along with the stench of liquor off his breath.

"Dad, you're sick!" Joey kicked him right between the legs, causing him to fall in a ball onto the ground. He went to run, he grabbed the phone and dialed 911. "Pick up, pick up, pick up."

"911, how may we…" The lady's voice was cut off as Bob tore the phone from the wall. Joey gasped and started to run.

"Oh no you aren't!" Bob grabbed him by the leg and he fell, hitting his left arm hard on the end of the table, causing him to cry out in pain. The some of the cards from his duel monster deck fell out of his pants, Leogun and Tiger Ax. Bob noticed them, "Well, well, what do we have here?" He held them up. Joey's eyes shook as Bob stood up and went into the kitchen. "Maybe now you'll learn your lesson." Joey gasped as he heard the sound of the garbage disposal turn on.

"No!" Joey screamed but it was too late, he couldn't move, he was in pain, in shock. "Fuck you dad, fuck you and all your sanctimonies bullshit, I hate you, I hate you!"

Bob came back into the room and took out a cigar and lit it, he took a puff and blew the smoke. Joey coughed in disgust at the horrid smelling smoke. "Just for that, you're sleeping on the lawn like the dog you are." Bob took him out into the back yard and threw him outside, then slammed the door.

Joey banged on it, "Hey, let me inside you bastard!"

Bob looked out through the shades in the window, "No jacket? Aw, I heard it's gonna be below 40 tonight. Haha!"

Joey continued to bang, "Dam you to hell, you jackass!"

Too tired from the whole experience to continue, Joey sat down against the door. His dad just had to let him back in sometime…. Right? There was a knock at the front door. Joey looked between the small area where the curtains were torn. He gasped when he saw the police at the front door. Joey realized the lady at 911 must've sent somebody after all just to check on the call.

"Problem? Oh no, just a wrong number. I was trying to get 411, I'm sorry." Bob chuckled to the police officer.

Joey yelled at the top of his lungs, "Hey, help! Back here! Cops, cops!"

The officer tipped his hat and left. But Bob had heard him, he barreled to the back door and opened it, he had the hose and began to squirt the yelping Joey off. "Chill kid, I'll let you back in tomorrow morning… maybe. Sleep tight!" He closed the door and turned off the light.

"Damit!" Joey growled and looked around. He could escape somehow, couldn't he? It was getting cold, real cold. The news was right, for once, temperatures that night below 40, and he was soaking wet. "I gotta get, I just gotta…" Joey's eyes fluttered and he passed out on the back doorstep.

The next morning, he woke up lying on the kitchen floor. He opened his eyes, his vision was blurry and the air stung at his eyes. He tried to breathe but his nose was all plugged up and running. He coughed violently, his throat felt like murder, and huddled in a shivering ball on the floor. The hand against his face felt warmth, he was burning up. He tried to get up, but he was to weak, to tired to move. Finally he heard footsteps.

"Well, well, well, let a sleeping dog lie. But then again, wouldn't want to insult a canine." Bob kicked him in the gut, knocking the wind out of him. "Wake up you whiney runt."

"Pops…" Joey's voice was hoarse and dry.

"Don't call me that!"

"I…" He started to sneeze.

"Great, now you're sick again. You know, I can't afford much as it is, insurance is one of them, so forget going to a doctor, you've just got to tough it out and get better on your own. Some man, oh wait, I forgot, you're still just a boy." Last night was intentional!

"But dad." Joey tried to open his eyes, but they watered from tears and the sickness.

"Don't go and die on me, well, you can if you want, it wont matter." He laughed as he walked out of the room. Joey lay on the floor, he was going to die, he just knew it, he could feel death's hands around his chest. He started to cry, he was as good as dead.

End flashback

"You know." Joey blinked. "Something good did come out of all that, I got sick but I toughened up and any time I got sick again, I never needed medicine from a doctor, I was strong enough, brave enough to take it on myself, and defeat it."

Serenity was still shocked with disgust, "How could you say that's good? That story was by far the most horrendous thing I've ever heard! I would never have survived a day in your shoes!"

"Yea, but I got used to it, I guess."

"Got used to it!?" Serenity stood up and put her hands on her hips. "Some tough strong guy, don't need a doctor eh? Well look where you are now mister!"

"Yea, but this aint no cold. I dunno sis, I hate to say it, but being in here, like this…. I'd rather have another lifetime living in torture with dad."

Serenity's eyes widened, "You can't be serious!"

"Dead serious sis…" Joey stared off into space, thinking. "Dead."

4. Just Plain Sick


	5. Nobody's Home

Mai was still asleep in the chair, her gentle snoring head lying on her arm against the lamp table. Serenity sat on the chair by the bed where the sickly Joey lay. Serenity looked at him, he was so pale yet so flush, his thin body shivering and covered in sweat. He rubbed his tired eyes, the sound of his breathing rattling grossly from his chest. He coughed hard, covering his mouth with a hand. The beeping of the heart monitor seemed so monotone and automatic, this place was like hell on earth, and yet, Joey would rather be living with Bob, the devil himself. Serenity couldn't understand it. She came to a conclusion in her mind, when she'd go home that night, she'd have a talk with mom, they had to bring Joey to live with them after graduation, the conditions from his childhood were just barbaric with all the torment and physical cruelty. It was a wonder Joey was still alive, alive… She looked at him, was he once again at death's door with this condition? The doctor tried the medication, it was only a tester, and no cure. Joey was suffering no matter what path he chose. His whole horrid life had led him to this exact moment. The divorce, it started it all, if it never happened, who knew where their life would be? Serenity wondered that, she still blamed herself, no matter what Joey would tell her, she could never get over that.

Outside, a car pulled up by the hospital. It was Tea, she had come to pick up Mai from her vigil in Joey's room.

Joey pulled his hand away from his mouth, blood dotted his hand, his eyes welled, "I can't do this." Serenity looked up. "I can't go on like this anymore. I can't take it, I'm too weak to be strong, my will is just not enough to put on a tough guy facade anymore."

"Joey." Serenity rushed over. "You're scaring me."

"Please sis." His begging eyes looked up at hers. Hers were bright and shaky with the tears of fear, his were tired and pale. "Free me."

She gasped, her eyes widening, "Joey…!"

"Please. You're an angle, grant me my wings so I can fly away, fly away from this place and never look back."

"No Joey I can't, I wont!"

"This isn't your choice to make sis, it's mine. Haven't you ever wanted to go away? Of course you've had that feeling, so you have to understand what I'm going through here."

"But, mom, she can take you to live with us."

"It's not that." Joey smiled and closed his eyes. "There's no hope for me, I've suffered every day since I was admitted here. Nobody can help, there's nothing anyone can do."

"But think of all you're leaving behind! What of your friends, what of Mai!"

Joey looked over at his sleeping girlfriend and smiled, "She will be fine, everyone will, even you. You'll see, trust me. You just have to be brave, like, how I used to be…"

"Joey…" Serenity was starting to cry, scared, as she saw her brother raise his hand with two fingers.

"We're a team, right? Don't worry, even if our physical bodies are apart, we'll always be together."

Serenity's eyes shook with the water as she raised her hand with two fingers too, "I don't want to be alone without you Joey."

"I'm big brother, after all, and big brother knows best. Right?" Joey paused and opened his eyes. "Right?"

Serenity nodded as she choked, swallowing the teary lump in her throat, "Right."

_I couldn't tell you_

_Why she felt that way_

_She felt it every day_

She nodded dryly and looked over at the life support plug on the other side of the bed. She got up, she didn't want to do it, and yet something inside her was telling her to do it, she knew she had to, and that was what kept her feet going. It was for Joey.

_And I couldn't help her_

_I just watched her make_

_The same mistakes again_

Tea called Mai's cell, it rang on silent but she got no answer. She looked at her phone confused. She hung up and began to think.

_What's wrong what's wrong now_

_Too many too many problems_

_Don't know where she belongs_

_Where she belongs_

Serenity's hand found its way onto the cord, and it somehow somewhere found the strength to yank it out of the wall. She looked up teary eyed at her dying big brother.

_She wants to go home_

_But nobody's home_

_That's where she lies_

_Broken inside_

_With no place to go_

_No place to go_

_To dry her eyes_

_Broken inside_

Serenity walked back over to the bed and looked at Joey, he closed his eyes and a smile appeared on his face. "Thank you sis, for everything." Serenity wanted to cry. He was thanking her?

_Open your eyes_

_And look outside_

_And find the reasons why_

"Please forgive me brother, I tried, I'm sorry."

"No sis, it was never your fault, nothing ever was. You saved me sis, thank you, for always being there for me, when I needed it." Joey held out his hand to take hers. "There's something I want you to do for me, ok?"

She clenched to it tightly, "Yes brother, anything."

He smiled warmly at her, "Whatever you do, no matter what happens…. don't ever play, the blame game." Her eyes stared deeply into his, they were glazed over with a foggy daze, it was true, she could tell that he was leaving, nobody was home.

_You've been rejected_

_Now you can't find_

_What you've left behind_

Joey's hand began to fall limp as his life started to take its end. But Serenity noticed something facing Joey on the nightstand. It was his duel deck:

Flashback of Joey saying, "They call me" in an old Italian man's accent. "The Godfather Of The Game." End Flashback.

Her shiny eyes widened as she saw on the top face up was the card she gave him the day it all began.

"Flame Swordsman."

_Be strong be strong now_

_Too many too many problems_

_Don't know where she belongs_

_Where she belongs_

Serenity looked down at the concrete pavement of the parking lot. She stopped her memories, she couldn't take it anymore. She had left the hospital building an emotional wreck, she wanted to cry but the tears wouldn't come out, almost as if, they didn't want to, secretly, as if she didn't want them to. She had done the right thing. Right…? Right.

_She wants to go home_

_But nobody's home_

_That's where she lies_

_Broken inside_

_With no place to go_

_No place to go_

_To dry her eyes_

_Broken inside_

With shaky eyes hiding back the tears of her emotions, she turned her head towards the open highway. Taking in a deep breath, she stepped forward, her left foot following her right as she walked away, walked away from it all.

_Her feelings she hides_

_Her dreams she can't find_

_She's losing her mind_

_She's falling behind_

_She can't find her place_

_She's losing her faith_

_She's falling from grace_

_She's all over the place, yea_

Tears welling up as she took one last peek back over her shoulder at the city of Domino as it grew farther back over the horizon. Inside the hospital, Mai awoke to the bustling of doctors as they soon realized the body lying in the bed was no longer alive.

"Joey!?" Mai rushed over but her face froze when she saw the calm happy look on his now peaceful face, for the first time ever in this place. She was sad but somehow deep down inside, she realized, that this was what he wanted….

_She wants to go home_

_But nobody's home_

_That's where she lies_

_Broken inside_

_With no place to go_

_No place to go_

_To dry her eyes_

_Broken inside_

Tea sighed to herself as she watched the thumb rise sideways of the confused teen as she marched on along the roadside, and she debated, on picking her up…

_She's lost inside lost inside_

_She's lost inside lost inside_

THE END 

5. Nobody's Home


End file.
